invasivespeciesfandomcom-20200214-history
Brassica Nigra
Brassica Nigra Photographer: Jouko Lehmuskallio Common Name Black Mustard Family Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) Growing Season Annual Flowering Time June-September Height 40-80 cm (16-32 in.) Brassica Nigra Morphological Description: Flowers/Fruits: Flowers are small, yellow, and have four petals. Seeds are small, with colors ranging from dark brown to black. Leaves: Leaves are broad area at the tip and become smaller at the base. Has a fibrous root system not exceeding 1m in depth. Leaves have small hairs Habitat & Basic Biology (life history, dispersal abilities): Brassica Nigra is an annual weedy grass that regenerates during the rainy season. Due to the proximity of Brassica Nigra to rivers, seeds are often dispersed through water, resulting in gene flow between multiple populations. Functional traits (photosynthetic rates, phenology, etc.) Brassica Nigra has glucosinolates, compounds containing sulfur and nitrogen, which repel herbivore activity. In addition, Brasica Nigra has a residue of Allyl-isoisothio-cyanate (ITC) which reduces the germination and growth of various grass species. File:Black_Mustard_Nature_GAte.jpg File:FlowerBlackMustard.jpg Distribution A shaded county indicates that there are occurrence records of this plant within the county. Links Calflora Invasive Species Council of California California Department of Fish and Wildlife: On Invasive Species California Invasive Plant Council USDA: National Invasive Species Information Center References *Bell, D.T. and C.H. Miller, 1973, American Midland Naturalist: Researchers investigated the invasive mechanisms of B. nigra and found that water soluble phytotoxins inhibit native grassland species and allow for invasion by B nigra. *Bischoff, A. and S. Tremulot, 2010, Oecologia: Researchers utilized B. nigra to analyze population differentiation in plant traits and herbivory, examine home and away differences, and test plant adaptation to local herbivores and found significant differentiation in plant traits, but no change in plant adaptation. *Connor, J.K. and L.A. Zangori, 1997, Oecologia: Researchers attempted to better understand the UV-B effects on pollination success/fitness in B. nigra and B. rapa, and after a series of experimental plantings found that B. nigra fitness declined at high levels of UV-B while B. rapa fitness levels remained unchanged. *Dam, N.M., et al., 2004, Netherlands Institute of Ecology: B. nigra plant response to two different root feeders were studied in this study. Researchers discovered that glucosinolate and phenolic levels were affected by root feeding. *DeVay, J.E. and A.M. Shapiro, 1987, Oecologia: Researchers investigated the process in which B. nigra kill the eggs of Pieris rapae and P. napi by desiccating the egg. This is seen to be a hypersensitivity reaction, and the eggs may be rescued by keeping them within a saturated atmosphere. *Funk, J.L. and V.A. Zachary, 2010, Biological Invasions: Researchers studied the effects of water stress and high-light stress on native and nonnative plant species; in general no difference was noticed in the performance of native versus nonnative species. B. nigra were resistant to photoinhibition. *Oduor, A.M.O., et. al, 2011, New Phytologist: Researchers studied the post-introduction evolution of a trade off between resistance to and tolerance of herbivory. B. nigra were planted and compared for growth and defense traits and researchers discovered that invasive population in comparison to native population had higher resistance and lower tolerance of herbivore damage. *Orrock, J.L., et. al. , 2008, Ecology: Researchers studied the impact of B. nigra on the native bunchgrass, Nassella pulchra by monitoring small animals, using seed addition, and experimental exclosures. It was found that B. nigra impacted the activity of the native small animals which affected the gradient of consumption, leading to a reduction of the native bunchgrass establishment. *Sjodin, P., et al., 2008, Journal of Molecular Evolution: Researchers studied the CONSTANS-like gene family in B. nigra and studied gene variability of three genes from this family. *Tawaha, A.M. and M.A. Turk, 2003, Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science: Researchers conducted greenhouse and laboratory experiments to determine effects of B. nigra populations on wild barley. Scientists discovered that the growth of wild barley was significantly reduced when grown in an area previously cropped to B. nigra. Artistic Media: *Line drawing by Johann Georg Sturm (Painter: Jacob Sturm) domain, via Wikimedia Commons *Gallery photos from NatureGate by Jouko Lehmuskallio *Geographic Distribution from Calflora